Chris Pavone is fabulous!
The summary of this novel does not do it justice. Yes, it is about power and privilege and wealth juxtaposed with all the hardworking people behind the scenes who oil the machinery for the lives of the rich and powerful. However, there is no real protection from the greed and corruption that is rampant through all strata of humanity.
Chicky Diaz and Emily Longworth live lives as far apart as Chicky’s daily routine as the doorman and Emily’s life on the 11th floor of one of the most prestigious buildings in Manhattan. However, they ultimately find themselves aligned as closely as possible, sharing a secret beyond anything they could have imagined. What binds them and separates them from all the others is literally the inherent goodness of their hearts.
Chris Pavone has a wonderful gift for developing very human, multi-dimensional characters who become your friends and your enemies. He draws you into their world and connects you with characters that you still think about long after you have read the last page.

Wow what a beautiful read about love, racism and murder. This book has it all, and it was written thoughtfully with details you didn’t see coming, details you weren’t sure how they were going to play, and details intricately the characters their story and how they are intertwined. I love it!

Chicky was quite the interesting person; I liked him a lot. Whit was a character that I didn't like in the beginning and still didn't like him in the end either.. But he sure kept things interesting !!This is the first book that I have read by Chris Pavone. I liked how it started out strong. It did drag down a bit for me in the middle because of all the different tenants in the building and the not so good characters outside the building. Each tenant did have a very full backstory and the atmospheres of each place they owned was very well described ! However, I did get lost with who was with who when it came to couples. And just as I thought I had a handle on them, there was a lot of bed hopping on both sides of the couples.
Things did get better the further I went along and I ended up liking it a lot because like in the beginning place Chicky started things off with a bang and the story ended the same way! Breathtaking ending !
I hope to give a try to some of the other stories by this author again !!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher MCD for the digital ARC. I had really enjoyed Two Nights in Lisbon for the fast pace and interesting characters. Sadly, this was not the case with The Doorman. It took so long to get to any action and there were SO many characters to keep track of while none of them were particularly likeable and there was so much hateful rhetoric on both sides. I really tried to invest in the characters and the stories, but it was just not happening and ended up being a bit of a disappointment. I did not give it 2 stars because I still like the author’s descriptions and writing style but this just feels like it was trying too hard.

Great book! A real feeling NYC Upper West Side novel that totally entertains.
I wasn't able to put this down and I was very happy with the ending that I never saw coming.
Lots of fun to read. I will look for other books by this author.

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. I liked the main story with Chickie, but all of the other characters were horrible people in one way or another. The book dragged down with so many anti-PC things which already are coming at us from all angles under the current presidential administration so I did not find it enjoyable at this point in time because I read to escape reality.

I don't like to leave negative reviews. But I am a big fan of Chris Pavone's writing, and I am so disappointed by The Doorman. He has the makings of a good story here, but it is so bogged down in political and social commentary -- it reads like an East Side nanny's diary with snarky observations about her employers. Quite frankly, I don't think I'll finish it. I do not care enough about the characters to find out what happens to them.

REVISION 3/25: I have never revised a review here. But in fairness, I did wind up finishing the book because about midway through it drew me in, turning into a fast-paced, twisty thriller (which is what I've come to expect from Chris Pavone. He didn't let up on the social commentary, but the plot unfolded in breathtaking manner, with an ending I did not see coming. Just sayin' if he'd left out all the snarky comments about "woke" it would have been a better read.

Thank you #FarrarStrausAndGiroux and #NetGalley for providing this #ARC Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is May 20, 2025.

3 Stars • "The Doorman" by Chris Pavone is a thriller set in a tense New York City night, where Chicky Diaz, a doorman at the elite Bohemia building, navigates chaos after an NYPD shooting sparks protests. Amid class and racial divides, Chicky carries a gun, secrets unravel among residents, and a deadly showdown looms, blending suspense with social commentary.

#TheDoorman #ChrisPavone #Bookish

Riveting.

Chickie is the doorman of an iconic NYC high rise who struggles financially and prefers to keep his distance from the residents he serves.

Emily Longworth is the beautiful and desperately unhappy wife of a wealthy man on the 11th floor.

Julian Sonnenberg is a handsome and successful gallerist He and his wife live on the 2nd floor.

Within 24 hours their lives will be irrevocably changed.

Perfectly paced, The Doorman will hook you from cover to cover.

This book was a lot. The beginning was intriguing and started off strong. I didn't realize the doorman's character was just one of many POVs. The book seemed really long too. Just not what I expected but well written.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is all about what’s wrong in society. The social strata of class and racism. This apartment building full of wealthy people who are mostly racist towards black people, yet are themselves plagued by racists outbursts, being that they are different nationalities. Money is a huge motivator. So many lies and horrendous actions are taken in the name of more money. For the most part there are not many characters that aren’t terrible people. Even the ones that are somewhat likable have made illegal decisions. The book is well written and makes you pause and think about what you just read. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is my first book by this author. Although I liked the story, full of suspense, it was also filled with too many social and political opinions. It's a great read for someone that's OK with that, but not for me.

First, thank you to Chris Pavone, NetGalley and MacMillan for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Doorman. When I read the plot summary I was totally hooked.

This is a book about The Dakota... oh, I'm sorry, "The Bohemia," a luxury apartment building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan (my old neighborhood). It's a mysterious building, home of many famous (or were famous to a specific genre and generation)) and rich New Yorkers. So, when you get a mix of "nouveau rich" and "old money rich", conflict is bound to arise.

And then you have the "unseen". The (mostly hispanic) building staff, who hold open doors, clean apartments, and most-importantly, guard the secrets of the residents.

I love a good New York City soap opera, and that's what The Doorman provides: insights to the unhappy wealthy couples, the secrets that go behind closed doors and what could go wrong... and does!

The story revolves around 2 apartments, and the connections (business and personal) between them all, along with the story of the actual Doorman of the building, "Chicky", of whom the book is titled. And the City. Don't forget the City, that also plays a major character. And this City is on the verge of blowing up due to racial tensions and murders that stereotypically creates tension between the "haves and have nots." (Keeps the book current with today's - or last years times, I suppose.)

For me, Chicky's story was actually the least interesting, but he plays an increasingly pivotal role as the gatekeeper of the building.

I really enjoyed "The Doorman." It's a lesser "Bonfire of the Vanities," but definitely has those aspirations. It's a page-turner, and for fans of the author (Why haven't I read "Two Nights in Lisbon"? I know I heard of it when it came out, and I certainly want to! I did read "The ExPats", and looking back at my review, I wasn't so hot on it. "The Doorman" is a much better read, and I hope it does well !)

I don't often read this kind of thriller, but I liked it better than I thought I would. The story is slow in places, especially in the first half, but the book makes up for that in the second half when the setup starts paying off. I hadn't expected the socio-political themes of race and class in a thriller like this, especially in such a prominent way, but I didn't mind their inclusion. On the whole I had a good time with this story, and I might read more from the author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

I've been a fan of Pavone's books for years and this one doesn't diappoint. The writing is well paced, the main cast of characters are well fleshed out, the storyline is compelling and the motivations make sense. The final twist at the end was a bit hard to believe but overall the book had me engaged from beginning to end. Pavone is a very consistent writer and I'll continue to read his work.

An interesting book but it rambles too much among characters. I did not find the characters sympathetic. They were too woe begone. Not up to his other books but still interesting v

In The Doorman, Chris Pavone delivers a sophisticated thriller set against the backdrop of international espionage. The narrative is intricately woven, with each character playing a pivotal role in the unfolding drama. Pavone's sharp writing and attention to detail create a vivid and immersive experience. The protagonist's journey is both thrilling and intellectually stimulating, keeping readers hooked from start to finish. This novel is a masterclass in suspense, cementing Pavone's reputation as a top-tier thriller author.

Most of this story takes place in and around a luxury apartment building called the Bohemia in Central Park West in New York City. The chapters alternate mainly among three characters: the front doorman, Chicky Diaz, and two of the residents, Julian Sonnenberg in 2A and Emily Longworth in 11-cD: a double penthouse.

Emily’s husband Whit had, as Emily described it, “nearly incomprehensible wealth.” While Emily felt an intellectual guilt about it, it didn’t take her long to get accustomed to its benefits - the luxurious apartment, expensive meals, chauffeured cars, private planes, clothes, jewelry, and even high-end linens from all the best places. Cost was no object. The purchase price of their apartment, for example, was 32 million *before* all the costly renovations, and yet that amount represented perhaps only three percent of his net worth.

At the same time, however, as Emily got to know Whit more, she became increasingly repelled by his unsavory business practices; lack of compassion for those with less - especially if they were not white heterosexual men; and an increasing desire to hurt Emily during sex. So Emily avoided being near him.

Meanwhile, the owner of Apartment 2A, Julian Sonnenberg, was starting to feel his age (50) and “felt himself becoming irrelevant,” to his wife, to his kids, his business partner, and to his career.

Chicky knew all the residents and most of their habits. He loved his job; he had worked at the Bohemia for 28 years. The residents can’t imagine the place without Chicky. But he had mounting problems also. He found that he had to *pretend* to be nice more than he used to. And he was lonely; his wife Tiffani recently died of lymphoma, and left him with “two hundred grand in bills that were at various stages of unpaid or disputed or unreimbursed or what-the-fuck-ever. The processes were circular and the paperwork impenetrable.” He also had college tuition to pay for his girls in excess of the financial aid and loans they had.

In a typical passage Pavone adds commentary (in the voice of his characters) to the awful consequences of financial inequality, in this observation about student loans:

“Sometimes the whole setup didn’t look like financial aid so much as financial entrapment. A system that existed mainly to create loans to generate interest and defaults and fees. Maybe college was just another way to trick poor people into a lifetime of consumer debt. To redistribute income upward. Once you started looking for reverse redistribution schemes, they were everywhere.”

Chicky owed thousands to his landlord in back rent, thousands to various medical institutions, and his credit cards were maxed out. He now even owed money to a loan shark.

Each of the characters takes irrevocable steps to escape their situations that have profound consequences for all of them.

The actions come to a head on one dangerous night marked by protests and counterprotests after the NYPD fatally shot yet another Black man. As the tension ramps up and the book metamorphoses into the kind of thriller Pavone’s audience is familiar with, a number of twists lead to a surprising resolution for all of the characters. The ending seemed like a riff on the end of the movie “Chinatown.”

Evaluation: This entertaining character study/sociological treatise/thriller is a great choice for book clubs, with endless themes and topics to analyze.

I am a long-time fan of Pavone's spy thrillers, and when I saw he had a new title I immediately requested it. I was not approved for a while for the ebook, so when the audio version came available on here, I jumped on that. I got that approval quickly and began listening - and then received the ebook approval too! Because I was already listening, and loved the narrator, I wound up finishing the book on audio - and I'm SO glad I did!

This is an absolutely incredible story. It is thought-provoking and moving, emotionally charged and frustrating. It is not at all like the spy books Pavone is famous for, and I've seen a number of reviews that appear to have punished him for that. I, on the other hand, applaud him for taking on such difficult and timely subjects as privilege, classism and racism - and for handling them so well. He is a very talented storyteller, and he applied that gift to this book as well as he has to all of his others.

This is not an easy book to read, in the sense that it stirs up A LOT of emotional responses because of the no-holds-barred approach that Pavone takes in his writing (on whatever topic). This book will make you angry and irritated and frustrated. You will groan out loud at the ridiculousness of so many decisions. You will roll your eyes at the hypocrisy and excess. But you will also - if you pay attention - stumble on tidbits of thoughtful social commentary and a recognition of the inherent tensions in unfettered capitalism.

There's a lot going on here that is current and political. But set aside all the socioeconomic and sociopolitical elements of this one and you will also find a story about how we are all interconnected, whether we want to be or not and whether we acknowledge that we are or not. To me, that's the true magic here. Pavone's story reminds us that at the end of the day, consequences can and will find any one of us and no amount of money or privilege (or lack thereof) will prevent that.

It was a brilliant story that I thoroughly enjoyed, even when I was frustrated and yelling at the characters the loudest. The narration captured these tensions perfectly and was spot-on fabulous.

(I used this same review on the audio version as the salient points are relevant to both)

3.5 stars for me. This started out slower than I normally enjoy, but I can appreciate the back stories for all of the characters and I can appreciate the care the author took with dealing with politics. I would consider this, in my opinion, more of a political thriller than psychological. Once I hit the 80% mark, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, This was a slow paced read, but I did enjoy the ending, regardless of how heartbreaking it was.